Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-07-22
A DRIVE INTO CANADA.

WATERLOO, Canada, May 2S, 1851
| left Greensboro after dinner. 1t was
ID miles to Barton and 81 to Derby Line
The road to Derby was Il winding one
among the hills past the bed of Run
away pond and through the Willough-
by mountains. 1t also passed by one
pond which was at home, ana came to
Barton street. that was wide and long
Four miles below guide-board point
ed up Il hill and said it was sixteen
miles to Derby Line. The hill proved a
long one eliminating, after number of
miles, in the village of Bloomington.
where was Il fine view of the Willoughby
mountains. said to be $500 feet high To
the west is Jay Peak and the Green
Mountain range. northwest Lake Mem
phrenagog and Owls Head. The village.
which used to be county seat and the
seat of Il large academy. shows now but
little. Railroads in eastern Vermont have
changed the condition of things, destroy
inc those places which before were ele-
gantly placed upon the hills and caus-
ing new ones TO rise in the valleys. Now
there is hardly more than the farms left
at Brownington y fine Morgan stallion
was kept here. but as the owner was
away did not get his breeding. The
land here is excellent. The situation
seemed very similar to that of Randolph
Center. The road, as straight as an arrow,
extends north to Derby Line. There is
another wide and long street at Derby
village. At the end of this was an espe-
cially well kept farm. By inquiry
learned this was the stock farm of Mr..
Bates of New York, who was formerly n
resident of Derby. Mr.. Bates made the
usual mistake of the moneyed men of
Vermont who have undertaken to breed
horses. He got Hambletonan stations
''and sich, mot at all adapted to Vermont
hills if they are to any place. 10 those
who have known better the worse is nev-
er acceptable. VermOnters have seen
around these farms like this one, ,and Mr.
Moulton's at Randolph, and Mr. Baxter s
at Rutland, the Vermont Stock farm at
Shclburn, the Grays' at Randolph, the
Griswod farm at Morrisville, etc, a
blight fall upon the horse stock until dis
gust has been succeeded by despair, but
the light is again breaking and the model
horse of Vermont once more is begnn.
ing to assert its worth, and will fill
these valleys and these hillsides with the
hardy and compact Morgans, that are
built right all over, and to every one that
has owned them make the perfect horse
Derby Line consists of a very wide
street handsomely built and neatly kept
| made the acquaintance here of quite 4
number of gentlemen, who took much
interest in the enquiries | was making
and assisted in every way possible to an
swer them.
Stanstead Plains, which now for a long
time has been one of the prominent places
OF interest in breeding of the country, is
mostly a single street on the Canada side
of the line. 1t is wide street, and very
well built, quite good many feet higher
than Derby Line. The land that extends
from it is excellent, and continues so,
am told, for many miles in all directions
Good soil is always conducive to good
stock. In 1920 one of the best horses on
the American continent, the Hawkins
Horse, was advertised to stand here al
Stanstead, and for many years he stood
here or hereabouts. The same year a
horse called Messenger was advertised tC
stand here, but | can learn nothing OF
him.
| drove from Stanstead to Magog. A
rain overlook me that was also going
to Magog and we logged along together
1t was very pleasant having so good com
pany. We passed one village that wa:
called Ayers Flats, and then by lake
that the Indians called the Smile of the
Great Spirit; that is think they did fol
it looked placed enough to be called sucf
and this was fayorite name of the In
dians, just as Hogback or Snake hill is ol
New Englanders. | see the maps cal
the lake Massawippi. 1t reminds me o.
Killarney. | supposed at first it was
Memphremagog, but learned better after
wards. AS far as this lake, 10 miles, haC
been good farming country. Shortly
after leaving this it became rough ant
wooded, but sparsely settled for 10 mile
more to Magog. By the time had go
to this last euphoniously named town
was pretty thoroughly shook up and wet
J Magog is as plain as its name. There ar